"The Odyssey presented a very strong proposal to take on the College's textbook needs," says Mary Jo Maydew, Mount Holyoke Vice President for Finance and Administration. "We are happy to work with a local business and we are confident that the Odyssey will do a great job."

In previous years, the Odyssey has handled some of Mount Holyoke's textbook needs, as has the College store. Under the new arrangement, the Odyssey will handle all textbook sales for courses at the nation's oldest women's college. On average, 675 courses are offered a semester at Mount Holyoke.

"We have always felt a part of the Mount Holyoke College community, and this new partnership will provide new opportunities for us to serve the College, its faculty and students," said Neil Novik, co-owner of the Odyssey Bookshop, along with Joan Grenier.

Founded nearly 38 years ago, the Odyssey is the largest independent bookstore in the Pioneer Valley.

The campus store, operated for many years by the Follett Higher Education Group of Oakbrook, Illinois, will continue to serve the College community by selling a wide range of products other than textbooks from its location in the Blanchard Campus Center.

The Odyssey experienced steady growth in its first two decades and developed a reputation as a necessary stop for every local booklover, as well as many national and international bibliophiles. In December 1985, the Odyssey, along with six other businesses, was destroyed by fire. Many people from Mount Holyoke College, the town of South Hadley and surrounding communities volunteered countless hours to help the Odyssey rebuild.

In a twist that many describe as stranger than fiction, the Odyssey was destroyed a second time by fire in May 1986, a victim of arson. Again, an outpouring of support helped the Odyssey--some thought should be renamed the Phoenix!-- rise from the ashes, and it was housed in a church hall until the first building of the Village Commons was completed in 1987. The Odyssey moved to its present location in August 1991. Despite financial difficulties and setbacks suffered during the extremely competitive bookselling and retail environment of the 1990s, the Odyssey has survived and continues to thrive.

The Odyssey Bookshop is now the largest independent bookstore in the Pioneer Valley, and carries a unique and distinctive selection of over 50,000 new, used, publisher overstock and antiquarian titles, carefully selected by a staff of professional booksellers. The Odyssey staff takes pride in its ability to bring readers and writers together.

Additionally, the Odyssey sponsors or co-sponsors well over one hundred author events a year, hosting a variety of writers and illustrators. Odyssey events cover a wide range of subjects and genres, including Politics, History, Biography, Women's Studies, African-American Studies, Nature, Education, Children's books, Fiction, Mystery and Poetry. The Odyssey hosts emerging as well as best selling authors, representing many parts of this country and countries around the world. We make a concerted effort to represent a diversity of voices, including those which have been overlooked or marginalized. Our events provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, a place where town and gown come together to discuss art, politics, history and social issues.

The Odyssey offers out-of-print book searches and a website with a search capability and a database of over 1.3 million titles. The Odyssey has the latest technology and is able to acquire most books within days.

The Odyssey has supplied textbooks for many courses at Mount Holyoke College for at least two decades, with steady growth over the past several years. In the spring of 2001, the Odyssey ordered books for 134 courses, including over 520 different titles. We are adept at securing used books, ordering from three of the nation's largest used book wholesalers. This past semester, 27% of our textbook sales were used books. For each semester, the Odyssey converts about one quarter of the second floor to textbook selling space. The Odyssey is a member of the National Association of College Stores (NACS), as well as the American Booksellers' Association (ABA) and the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA).